Wire tightener



July 23, 1940. 2,209,288

'J. A. SNODGRASS WIRE TIGHTENER Filed Feb. 61 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

Snoentor July 23, 1940. J. A; SNQDGRASS 2.209,288

WIRE TIGHTENER Filed Feb. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Snvehfor John A Snodgrass attorney Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STATES My invention relates to tools for constructing new wire fences and for tightening' and repairing old wire fences. .y An object of this invention is to provide a tool by'means of which the slack in a line of fence wire may be taken up and held taut until the operatorhas been able to secure the tightened fence Wire to the post with a tying Wire.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tool for stretching wire.

My invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawings in which examples of my invention are illustrated wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the preferred form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the preferred form of the invention;

Figure 3 is a side view showing the step of operating the invention;

Figure 4 is a birds-eye view showing my invention in position for operating;

Figure 5 is an elevation view of a wire fence that has been tightened with the use of my invention;

Figure 6 illustrates a simple wire stretcher in operation, also embodying my invention;

Figure '7 illustrates the simple wire stretcher of Figure 9, in use combined with the preferred form of my wire tightener, and;

Figure 8 shows an example of fence repair vwherein old wire has :been stretched with my invention and then spliced. i

In the drawings herein, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the preferred form of my invention; numeral I designates an elongated lever bar, preferably made of hollow steel tubing. Lever bar I has its forward flattened end expanded to form a spur 2, adapted to serve as a fulcrum point and is sharp enough to dent a wooden post or the likeV to maintain its position. The lever bar I is provided with a series of slotted holes 3 which are adapted to receive the hook prong 5 of the yoke 4 for various adjusted positions of the yoke 4 with respect to the lever I. Linked to the yoke 4 there are two long grab hooks 6 which are adapted to hook over a strand of fence wire F or the like, as illustrated by Figures 3 and 4 of .the drawings. The invention thus far described constitutes a useful tool for stretching wire around the two sides of a post as illustrated by Figures 3, 4 and 5 and could -be used for stretching wire lengthwise as illustrated by Figures 7 and 8. Applicants invention, however, amounts to more than this, in that he has provided in his WIRE TIGHTENER.

John A, Snodgrass, Prescott, Ark., assigner of one-fourth to A. Cfstuart and two-fourths to,l E. W. Stuart, both of Texarkana, Tex.

constructionv a bracing dog vI- which [serves to'keep the lever from beingl pulled back Iby theten'sion of the stretched wire.' Itl readilyseen that by means of the bracing dog 'I the' operatormay 'release his hand from the lever andbfreel to'us'e both handsjtojmake secure thetension'in''the fence wireF with the tie wire T, as seen irl-Figure 5 of the drawings,v or to make a splicev in fence'wi're F, as seen in Figure 8 ofthe drawings The brac-I ing dog `'I`is provided with la v"curved spur; 8 similar to spur 2 of the lever Il and'for; a similar purpose; I have pivoted my bracing fdog `I near thespur end of the lever I by means of a pivot 9. Preferably the pivot 9 is put through the handle I on a diameter at a right angle to the plane of the slot I Il in the lever I for ythe bracing dog 1 to work in and out of. I get the best results by cutting the slot III to a depth of approximately half th'e diameter of the lever at the spur end. This feature is quite important and is quite an advancement in this art, in that by means of this construction I amable to use my invention very close to the top of a fence post'. This comes about by the fact that the spur 2 of the lever I can be placed close to the top of a post since the dog 'I can be closed down through the slot I0 to permit its spur 8 to rest at a point immediately above spur 2 of the lever I.

In the operation of this preferred form of my invention the rst step is to place the lever I into position with its spur 2 in engagement with a post P, or the like,- disposed at an upward inclination. The next step is to engage the hook's 6 over fence wire F, then pull by hand all of the slack you can out of the wire and fasten the prong 5 of the yoke 4 into the nearest slotted hole 3 it reaches to. In this position of the lever I,

the bracing dog 'I should be opened as far out of the slot IU as it can be. When the lever I is swung downwardly the wire is drawn around each side of the post as indicated by Figure 3 and Figure 5, or it may be stretched lengthwise as shown by Figures 1 and 8. The bracing dog 1 is designed to work loosely about its pivot 9 and through its receiving slot III so that it will follow the lever down by the force of gravity only, to the proper position for checking the tension of the wire and supporting the lever I in the position it is drawn 'down to. 'Ihe last step in the operation, as briefly mentioned above, is the step of securing the tension in the stretched fence wire F, by means of thetie wire T' which wire is tightly wrapped around the fence wire F. at positions to and from po'st P and about the oppoican-be used very conveniently withv the preferredA form of my'invention heretofore described; vIn

si'te'side `ofthe fence post P that the fence wire Figures 6, l and 8 illustrate another form of `my invention. lIn setting forth with this form of the invention, I am not laying .claims of being the originator of a wire gripping device in and' of itself but vIl do claimto be the originator of a Y wire gripping, devicefwzlth a'looplvchain extending vfrom the-wire gripping device.4 -lI-nV Figure 8',

ynumeral ll'designates a wire gripping device;` numeral Y5I designates a'vloop chain extending-r from the same. This vdevice is useful in..ar1cLof` itself .as a wire stretching devi'ce vby the'srnpl'e use of Aa lever which may ibe interposedibetween. Y

the chains and a post forV stretching wire.

its use Awith theA preferred form of the invention heretofore described, the grab hooks 6 arehooked iritoithe. lengths ofr the chain: as.- seenin Tand, 8. In this case; thetensionis Vtakenin the .wire by pullingthellever'dowir thesame.v as above described. connection. with the,l l other method ot tighteningfence-wirm leverl engages.

ventlve concept and that I am to be limited only by the scope of the sulbjoined claims, wherein I claim:

1. In a Wire stretcher', the combination with 3a hollow leverl with one end formed into a post engaging spur and provided with a series of holes in the direction of its length with a pair of wire engaging hooks linked to a :yoke like vmember provided-1 withl a hook prong; sai'cprongrlbei'ng adapted to hook into the holeskin the lever.

I 2. 'Ihe device .as claimed in claim 1 including'` aholding dog pivoted on a kpivot lying on a diameter of the lever. v

' 3.. In. a Wire stretcher, the combination of a Y 'lever with one end formed into a post engaging spur and' provided with a series of holes in the direction of itslength, andkprovided with a. slot Y at the 4end formed into a spur, a pair of wirel engaging hooks linked to a yoke like member providedwith a. hookprong, said kprong being adaptedfto. engage theholes in the leverkanyd'ahol-ding, dog pivoted'above the lever near the' end'ofthey aforesaid-slot, in the lever. 1

4..The'device as .claimed inclaimgB',l wherein the holding dogis provided with an inwardly curved. spur whichl adapts the holding dog .to

'Contact al postor the likeat a point immediately above the point that the said spur of the said JoHNxA-.sNoDGRAss 

